Is There Prehistoric Mascara in Your Makeup Bag? Why Experts Say to Toss It

Do you have some old makeup products chillin' in your makeup bag? I will admit, I'm often reluctant to toss old makeup (especially when I paid $25 for a lipstick shade that I only wore twice!), but a new study is reminding me--and you!--that beauty products don't last forever--in fact, they can get pretty grody ...

A British study of 1,000 women found that more than two thirds of us gals are reluctant to toss our makeup when it's past its prime. Many hang on to foundation, blush, and here's the gross part--mascara, which can be teeming with germs that can actually give you an eye infection!--for years.

"We wouldn't hesitate to chuck out moldy or bacteria-ridden food and the same standards should apply to the lotions and potions and that we put on our skin," said the study's lead author. "Beauty is timeless but unfortunately, products are not."

More from Reuters: "Favorite beauty essentials such as foundation, concealer, blusher, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick and perfume all include a 'period after opening' indicator, denoted by an open pot with the number of months of safe use written inside."

A few pointers that I've heard over the years:

*Always toss mascara and eyeliner after an eye infection (you can reinfect yourself, or your other eye).

*Never share makeup.

*If your makeup has a fowl smell or looks goopy--toss it.

*If you can't remember when you bought it, or worse, if you remember wearing a certain eye makeup in high school and now you're 35, yeah, time to part with it. Most experts give makeup product a one-year (tops) lifespan, but there are exceptions.

Do you keep makeup for long periods of time? Or are you good about tossing? What's the oldest thing in your makeup bag?